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DECISION No

DECISION No. 142/2002/QD-TTg OF OCTOBER 21, 2002 APPROVING THE PLANNING ON CONSERVATION AND PROMOTION OF THE VALUES OF HA LONG BAY HERITAGE TILL 2020

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the December 25, 2001 Law on Organization of the Government;

Pursuant to the June 29, 2001 Cultural Heritage Law;

At the proposal of the People�s Committee of Quang Ninh province (in Official Dispatch No. 1438/UB of November 7, 2000 and Official Dispatch No. 125/TT-UB of January 16, 2001) and the opinions of the Ministry of Planning and Investment (in Official Dispatch No. 1620 BKH/VPTD of March 18, 2002),

DECIDES:

Article 1.- To approve the Planning on conservation and promotion of the values of Ha Long Bay heritage till 2020, which shall serve as the basis for the development of detailed plannings and component projects, with the following principal contents:

1. Objectives:

a/ To determine legal grounds for the management, conservation and promotion of the values of Ha Long Bay heritage under Vietnam�s Cultural Heritage Law and the International Convention on the Protection of Heritages, at the same combine together other specialized plannings in the development of the Ha Long Bay region, along the direction of sustainable development under a uniform planning.

b/ To formulate investment programs and specific projects to protect, restore and efficiently exploit Ha Long Bay, focusing on islet groups; to draw up investment plans according to different phases and in a priority order suitable with the capital demand satisfaction and mobilization capability, ensuring the set objectives and schedule.

2. Scope of research:

a/ The scope of direct research covers 1,553 km2 , including:

- The World Heritage area, covering 434 km2 situated in the center of Ha Long Bay, consisting of 775 islets of scenic and scientific values.

- The buffer zone: coinciding with the buffer zone already demarcated by UNESCO, consisting of some areas directly affecting the World Heritage area.

- The area stretching from the buffer zone to the national conservation boundary.

b/ The scope of indirect research covers Cat Ba island and the area north of national highway 18A.

3. Object:

The principal object of the planning is the "Natural heritage of Ha Long Bay," consisting of islands, caves and caverns, beaches, fauna and flora systems, natural landscapes constituted by material elements and the integrated values of the heritage (biological, aesthetic, historical, cultural, geological, economic�), including cultural heritages and archeological vestiges in the Ha Long Bay region.

4. Viewpoints:

a/ The Planning must be feasible, modern, nationalistic, natural and man-made, educational, scientific and inheriting, taking culture as a foundation for developing and promoting efficiently specialized plannings which have been implemented in the region.

b/ The Planning on conservation and promotion of the heritage values must ensure "environmental protection and sustainable development," closely combining the heritage conservation and promotion with the environmental protection and economic, cultural and social development; linking conservation and exploitation with security and national defense.

5. The Planning on conservation and promotion of the heritage value has the following contents:

a/ The conservation scope planning:

- Area 1: situated in the center of Ha Long Bay (the World Heritage area), covering the entire area for landscape, geological, geomorphological, cultural and historical conservation; ecological conservation, being the absolute conservation area already recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage.

- Area 2: The active management area (buffer zone).

- Area 3 (development area) covering: the industrial development area, port development area, tourist development area, aquatic and marine product-rearing and -fishing development area, urban and infrastructure development area.

b/ Conservation contents:

- Delimiting protection areas.

- Identifying sources of negative and positive impacts and working out protection measures.

- Determining the value of the system of islands, caves and caverns as well as heritage-constituting elements such as geological and geomorphological elements, flora carpet, fauna system, islets, caves and caverns in the protection areas; cultural, historical and archeological values, and relevant hydro-geological and meteorological elements.

- Determining specific objects which need conservation such as caves and caverns, beaches, land and marine faunas and floras.

- Determining and systematizing non-material cultural values; drawing out plans on collecting, studying, revising, introducing, publicizing and promoting non-material cultural values.

c/ Planning the promotion of the heritage values:

- Planning functional areas in service of tourism.

- Planning the technical infrastructure network (water and electricity supply, waste water discharge, environmental sanitation, collection of solid wastes).

d/ Planning the environmental protection: managing the air environment, the water environment, natural resources, natural landscapes, bio-diversity and ecological systems in Ha Long Bay; treating waste matters, managing the environment for other economic branches.

6. Implementation measures:

a/ The implementation programs include the conservation survey and collection program; the heritage conservation, exploitation and promotion program; the awareness-raising program� as part of the general program on socio-economic development of Ha Long Bay.

b/ Formulating the regulations on management of tourist activities in the heritage region.

c/ Elaborating feasible projects determined as priority projects in the period from now till 2005, which shall serve as the basis for determining the investment capital demand in the period from now till 2005.

7. Investment phases:

a/ The period till 2005: To prioritize the gradual conservation of islets, caves and caverns, situated in the absolute protection area - The World Heritage, the Ngoc Vung and Quan Lan areas, especially cave parks, Ba Ham lake, Trai cave and eco-tourist places.

b/ The 2005-2010 period: To continue the conservation in combination with investment, exploitation and promotion of other areas in the absolute protection area - the World Heritage and a number of areas in the buffer zone of the World Heritage.

c/ The post-2010 period: To perfect sight-seeing tour routes, and functional areas in service of conservation and tourism.

Article 2.- The People�s Committees of Quang Ninh province shall assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the Ministry of Culture and Information in continuing studying, updating and concretizing the Planning�s content, attaching importance to the following contents:

1. Clarifying advantages as well as challenges to be surmounted regarding the natural, economic, social, traditional, historical and cultural conditions: customs and habits, life style and beliefs of inhabitants in the Ha Long Bay region and its vicinity in the context and trend of economic integration and natural landscape conservation.

2. Devising the contents and measures aiming to closely combine the conservation, embellishment and promotion of the values of Ha Long Bay heritage with socio-economic, cultural and social development and security and national defense.

3. Selecting a number of key schemes for prioritized implementation in the period till 2005 so as to draw experiences for further implementation of subsequent projects, giving special priority to deploying the project "Ha Long ecological museum," considering it a comprehensive measure to conserve, promote and exploit the heritage�s values.

4. Studying and formulating mechanisms and policies to mobilize resources, organizational and managerial measures to effectively promote elements and potentials at home and abroad in service of the conservation, embellishment and development of Ha Long Bay heritage.

Article 3.- The socio-economic plannings and projects of the ministries, branches and Quang Ninh province, which are concretized in the territory of Quang Ninh province in general and the Ha Long Bay region in particular, must take into account the Planning on conservation and promotion of the values of Ha Long Bay heritage.

In the course of implementation, the president of the People�s Committee of Quang Ninh province shall have to supervise, monitor and submit timely proposals to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision on the readjustment of the Planning when necessary.

Article 4.- This Decision takes effect 15 days after it signing.

The president of the People�s Committee of Quang Ninh province, the ministers, the heads of the ministerial-level agencies, the heads of the agencies attached to the Government and the concerned localities shall have to implement this Decision.

Prime Minister
PHAN VAN KHAI